Duncan passes Kareem on playoff blocks list

OKLAHOMA CITY — By blocking Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha’s driving layup attempt with 6:42 left in the third quarter of Thursday’s Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, Spurs captain Tim Duncan became the career leader in playoff blocks.

He finished the game with five, giving him 478 playoff rejections, two more than former leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Hall of Fame center for the Bucks and Lakers.

That the career milestone came in a 102-82 loss took most of the meaning from the accomplishment. Duncan’s response was dripping with sarcasm.

“He won’t enjoy it tonight,” Jackson said. “Wait until we get another win.”

Simply Splitter: Intentionally sent to the foul line for 12 free throws in Game 2 because he has developed a case of the free-throw “yips” during the postseason, Spurs backup center Tiago Splitter entered Game 3 with a simple solution for dealing with a tactic Thunder coach Scott Brooks promised to keep in his game plan.

“If that happens again, I’ll just step to the line and make free throws,” he said after the Spurs’ shootaround on Thursday morning. “It’s as simple as that.”

As it turned out, the Thunder’s quick start and domination of the game eliminated the need to use intentional fouls on Splitter. He went to the line only once, fouled in the act of shooting, and made 1 of 2 free throws.

Following footsteps: Sam Presti, the Thunder’s executive vice president and general manager, isn’t the only former Spurs basketball executive who cut his NBA teeth in the Spurs’ basketball operations department.

Rob Hennigan, like Presti a graduate and former standout player at Division III Emerson College in Boston, began his NBA career as an intern in the Spurs’ basketball operations department in 2004. He was named Spurs director of basketball operations prior to the 2007 season.

Presti added Hennigan to his Seattle SuperSonics staff before the 2008-09 season, the franchise’s last in Seattle before it moved to Oklahoma City and was renamed the Thunder.

Presti credits Hennigan, the Thunder’s assistant general manager for player personnel, for lobbying hard for the Thunder to make James Harden the third pick in the 2009 draft.

“We really liked him, starting with the year before, as a player and prospect,” Presti said. “Rob followed him really closely throughout the year. He felt he was someone who fit us on and off the floor; on the floor because he’s a guy who could impact the game in an efficient way, with or without the ball. He also fit well with the group we had in place as we continued to try to layer the team with players who could grow together.”

Game 5 tickets: Tickets for Monday’s Game 5 at the AT&T Center are on sale and can be purchased by phone at 210-225-8326 or online at spurs.com and ticketmaster.com. The AT&T Center’s southeast box office will open at 8 a.m. today. Tickets are also available at all Ticketmaster locations.